(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device used to locate a person. More specifically, the device utilizes a balloon which is attached to the person with a tether and elevated a distance sufficiently above the person to allow rescuers to more easily determine the location of the person. It is anticipated that the device of the present invention will be especially useful as a means to locate persons who fall overboard at sea as it is intended that the balloon will elevate a distance above the waves and the swell of the seas to allow the balloon to be spotted and the location of the person to be more easily determined through visual means, such as binoculars or the like.
(2) Description of the Related Art
When a person falls overboard at sea, they are often not rescued in time to save their lives because it is often difficult, if not impossible, to find them in the vast expanse of the ocean. Often, the victims become hidden in the waves or the swell of the seas, and even in the best of conditions where the seas are relatively calm, it is often difficult to find a person who has fallen overboard given all of the variables present in the situation, including, current, wind, flotsam, the precision of tracking the course of the vessel from which the person has fallen, the estimate of the time when the person fell overboard, the rescuers line of sight and visible horizon, etc.
In order to overcome these inherent problems, a locator device with an inflatable balloon has been used to assist rescuers in determining the exact location of an overboard person. Generally, these devices include a locator balloon which is inflated from a gas cylinder and a tether which connects the balloon to the person. When the balloon is inflated, it elevates above the person and remains visible above the person even in the swells of the seas thereby providing rescuers with a means to more readily locate the person.
These devices have proven effective but their construction often does not allow for their rapid deployment in an emergency situation. Oftentimes persons find themselves in an overboard situation unexpectedly and they are often startled and disoriented when they first enter the water and as they struggle to maintain flotation. Very often, the person must use his or her arms and legs to swim or tread water as they grasp for life preservers or rafts, and many times these types of personal flotation devices require actuation or inflation before they can be used. Obviously, this is an immediate concern for the person when they find themselves in the water, and usually it is only after the person has managed to stabilize his or her condition that the person begins to think about their rescue and letting their location be known to rescuers.
With these concerns in mind, emergency locator devices must satisfy several criteria in order to be effective. First, it is necessary that the locator device be easily actuated by the person once they are in the water. The locator device must be easily and readily deployable with relatively few movements and operations so that actuation of the locator device does not distract the person from the primary tasks at hand, i.e., to main flotation and tend to any injuries they may have.
Further, it is essential that the locator device be small and portable so that it may be easily carried and worn by the victim. Preferably, the device is sized to allow the person to wear the device comfortably and non-obtrusively whenever they are embarked on a vessel. A small and compact device is more apt to be worn by the person when they embark on a vessel thereby promoting boating safety. Also, it is necessary that the locator device be self-storing such that it is protected from the elements and inadvertent contact with objects which might otherwise damage the device or interfere with its proper operation. At the same time, it is essential that the device have a modular construction to allow it to be easily assembled, maintained, repaired, reused, and manufactured in a cost effective manner. Additionally, it is essential that the device have few moving parts and be of relatively simple construction so as to enhance its dependability and reliability, especially in the adverse conditions commonly found at sea.
The locator device of the present invention meets these requirements and provides a small compact design for a locator device which may be worn on the belt or belt loop of a person. In this way, the person""s arms and hands are free to conduct other tasks that may be needed once the person finds themselves in the overboard situation. Because the locator device attaches to the person, the person need not hold the locator device in their hands nor worry that in the event they become fatigued that they may let go of the device. The locator device of the present invention is easily deployable in the event a person finds themselves in an overboard situation and requires few operations in order to actuate the device, thereby allowing the person to actuate the locator device even if they are disoriented and are working to activate or assemble other rescue or survival equipment. In fact, the device of the present invention may be actuated by one hand in two simple motions. Additionally, the locator device of the present invention has a relatively simple, modular construction with few moving parts that is reliable and may be cost-effectively manufactured.
Among the aspects of the present invention is the provision of a device for locating a person comprising a housing having an interior with an opening into the interior. The device has a locator balloon stored in the housing interior which is deployable from the housing through the housing opening when the device is actuated. The device also comprises a source of gas that is lighter than air positioned within an interior of balloon. The gas is released from the gas source to expand and inflate the balloon when the device is actuated.
The balloon may be stored in a nesting arrangement with a portion of the housing with the balloon being collapsed around the housing portion and substantially conforming therewith. The balloon may also be deployed from the housing in a manner such that the balloon passes over the housing portion as the balloon expands out through the housing opening and inflates with the housing attached to the balloon.
Among another aspect of the present invention is a device for locating a person where the device has a housing with an interior and an opening into the interior and a source of gas that is lighter than air positioned within the housing interior. The balloon is stored in the housing interior with an interior of the balloon receiving a first part of the housing and the gas source therein with a second part of the housing surrounding the balloon. The balloon is deployed from the housing when the gas is released from the gas source in a manner such that the balloon expands from the housing opening and inflates with the housing attached to the balloon and the housing second part surrounding at least a portion of the balloon.
The housing portion may comprise an inner sleeve such as a mandrel with a hollow interior dimensioned to be received in the housing interior. The gas source may comprise a gas cylinder containing a pressurized gas sized to be received within the mandrel interior. The balloon may have an interior with an end configured to fit over the mandrel in a manner such that the balloon interior receives a portion of the mandrel and the gas cylinder thereby placing the balloon interior in fluid communication with the gas cylinder when the device is actuated. The balloon may have a shape which allows the balloon to be stored in the housing hollow interior and to expand out of the housing opening as the balloon is inflated when the device is actuated.
The device may comprise a trigger which is attachable to the housing and operable from a position is exterior to the housing. The trigger may also have a pointed end positionable to extend into the mandrel interior adjacent the gas cylinder. The trigger pointed end may be adapted to puncture a rupture disk on the gas cylinder to permit the gas to be discharged from the cylinder to fill the balloon interior when the device is actuated.
The device may also comprise an end cap which is removably attachable to the housing at the opening. The end cap is preferably separable from the housing when the device is actuated and may be connected to the housing with a tether. The end cap may also have a latch adapted to be removably attached to the person to allow the device to be worn.
The present invention provides for a compact design for a man overboard locator device which is lightweight and easily worn by a person. Further objects and features of the invention are revealed in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and in the drawings which follow.